His smile then vanished.
The more he thought about it, the more questionable it became. Why were the Netherworld Secret Guards here so quickly?
News of the Phoenix Camp's operation was supposed to be secret. Even within the Great Jing Dynasty, few knew about it, with most believing it was just a training exercise.
Even if the Great Lie Dynasty was sure the Phoenix Camp was responsible, wouldn't that take some time to confirm?
Why did they immediately determine it was his doing? Was it information from the Great Meng?
Or did they obtain the information from other channels?
How many spies does the Great Lie Dynasty have in Jade Capital City? What is the level of their access?
And then there are these Netherworld Secret Guards.
Even if the Great Lie Emperor knew the news and dispatched the Netherworld Secret Guards, it shouldn't have been this fast.
Did these Netherworld Secret Guards have something like his own Heavenly Dragon Divine Steed?
More likely, these Netherworld Secret Guards were already in Jade Capital City and began to act after receiving orders.
He closed his eyes and began to ponder.
After a moment, he recalled that he had a faint feeling of unease that had only arisen today.
In that case, these Netherworld Secret Guards had only started targeting him today.
They were actually able to evade his extrasensory perception; truly impressive. No wonder the Worry-Free Sect was so wary of them.
From what he could see, these Netherworld Secret Guards were wearing gray robes, looking similar to the Heavenly Hidden Sect.
They didn't leak any aura from their bodies, even when fighting against the four Grand Masters, they still didn't leak any aura.
It was as if they were eight people who didn't know martial arts, yet they were able to exchange blows with the four Grand Masters.
Their gestures seemed light and weak.
But their movements were incredibly fast, and their palms could still hold their own against the Grand Masters.
Chu Zhiyuan frowned.
He looked up at the sky.
Eight pillars of light were shining down from the sky.
The pillars of light enveloped the eight Netherworld Secret Guards, injecting them with a continuous stream of light.
This light was as soft as moonlight, but it allowed the eight Netherworld Secret Guards to cope with ease.
The spiritual energy of the Grand Masters seemed to be ineffective against the eight Netherworld Secret Guards.
Mental power, which could distort facial features, lost its power when it came into contact with this light.
Powerful forces landed on their bodies, only to be dissolved by the soft light.
This light, though soft, was incredibly powerful and could withstand the power of a Grand Master.
Chu Zhiyuan stroked his chin.
These eight Netherworld Secret Guards were different from the experts of the Evil Sect.
Although the experts of the Evil Sect borrowed otherworldly power, they wouldn't draw upon it unless it was critical.
Most of the time, they used the power they had cultivated themselves, even though this power was evil and could affect their minds and habits. But these Netherworld Secret Guards completely used otherworldly power, as if they had no power of their own.
Usually, they were just ordinary people, ordinary people without any cultivation. But once they took action, they became Netherworld Secret Guards.
This was truly impossible to defend against.
If it weren't for that string of prayer beads, he wouldn't have been able to detect their existence at all.
Judging by the cautious appearance of the four Grand Masters, these Netherworld Secret Guards likely had powerful hidden moves that could endanger the lives of Grand Masters.
Two streams of shadows suddenly flew out from his sleeve.
The two indistinct shadows flashed in his sleeve, and the next moment they were in mid-air, and the next flash they appeared two hundred meters away, at the foreheads of two gray-robed middle-aged men.
The combined power of the Glazed Blade Sutra, the Sword Control Art, and the Heart-Questioning Blade Art was even greater than before.
And this time, he had injected it with the power of the Fearless Realm. He felt that to deal with otherworldly power, one had to use otherworldly power.
The Glazed Blades appeared silently and instantly shot into the foreheads of the two gray-robed middle-aged men.
The space between their eyebrows suddenly lit up brightly, and then they flew into the air. The flying knives, however, were blocked in place.
Chu Zhiyuan's face suddenly turned pale, and all his mental power was instantly devoured.
His vision went black. If he hadn't been prepared and the Heavenly Origin Art had already been running, instantly replenishing his mental power, he would have fainted.
The two knives that were falling down suddenly disappeared again, and the next moment they appeared at the foreheads of the two gray-robed middle-aged men in mid-air.
"Bang!"
The space between the two men's eyebrows lit up brightly again, and they flew up again.
Grand Master Shi, who was confronting them, flashed and appeared behind them.
His left and right palms struck out simultaneously, lightly patting them on the back. The two men spat out arrows of blood, mixed with fragments. Chu Zhiyuan's two knives, hovering in mid-air, trembled and gradually increased in power. Grand Master Shi's timing was exquisite.
The Grand Master's skill and sensitivity could be seen in these subtle details.
He struck precisely during the gap after the light had blocked the flying knives.
The two pillars of light that had been hanging down from the sky dimmed slightly when they blocked the flying knives, and when they lit up again, the two Netherworld Secret Guards had already been struck.
After spitting out blood clots in mid-air, their eyes suddenly lit up brightly.
Substantial beams of electricity shot out from their eyes, and then their speed suddenly increased, shooting towards Grand Master Shi.
"Chih! Chih!"
The flying knives appeared at the back of their heads, and then the light flared brightly. The flying knives were blocked again.
Chu Zhiyuan's vision went black again, and his mental power was instantly drained.
The Heavenly Origin Art continuously drew down sweet dew, instantly replenishing it. "Bang, bang!" Two muffled sounds, Grand Master Shi once again seized the best opportunity and knocked the two Netherworld Secret Guards away.
This time he hit them on the forehead.
They spat out arrows of blood in the air, then hung their heads, "bang, bang" they fell to the ground, silent and still.
Chu Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The pillars of light hanging down from the sky reluctantly retracted and slowly disappeared. Chu Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Grand Master Shi flashed and appeared beside Chu Zhiyuan, cupping his fist in greeting.
Chu Zhiyuan said embarrassedly, "Mr. Shi, I..."
"Without your help, it wouldn't have been so easy to take them down." Grand Master Shi waved his hand and said, "Their power is very strange. It seems we need to use weapons as well."
Grand Masters almost never carry weapons, because there is no need. At the Grand Master realm, spiritual energy is the best weapon.
Not to mention that its purity is even better than Stellar Qi, more importantly, others can't hit you at all, and when you hit others, one palm is enough to solve the problem.
So why use weapons, carrying them is just a burden, not cool enough. So Grand Masters almost never carry weapons.
Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile.
The Heart-Questioning Blade Art was originally a strike comparable to a Grand Master's, the Sword Control Art increased its power, and the Glazed Blade Sutra added another layer.
Even if a Grand Master carries a weapon, they may not be able to defeat his flying knives.
Even so, he couldn't take down these Netherworld Secret Guards alone. This shows how difficult they are to deal with.
"Let's go, let's go solve the rest." Grand Master Shi said in a deep voice. Chu Zhiyuan retracted the flying power, reached out and pressed on a pine tree, and cast the Spirit Communication Heavenly Talisman.
After a moment, his face returned to normal.
Grand Master Shi and Grand Master Mo cooperated, pushing the other two Netherworld Secret Guards back step by step.
But they couldn't crush them for a long time. Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.
He had finally confirmed the correctness of his "using the strange to counter the strange", and that the power of the Fearless Realm was the most effective way to deal with otherworldly power.
The power of a Grand Master was not as effective.
Two flying knives appeared at the foreheads of the two Netherworld Secret Guards, blocked by the light that suddenly flared brightly between their eyebrows.
The flying knives stopped in mid-air. The two Secret Guards flew out.
"Bang! Bang!"
The foreheads of the two Secret Guards were simultaneously struck by Grand Master Shi and Grand Master Mo.
The two Secret Guards fell to the ground limply and motionless, already dead.
"Chih! Chih!"
"Bang! Bang!"
"Chih! Chih!"
"Bang! Bang!"
Chu Zhiyuan and the four Grand Masters stood in the depths of the forest, with a row of eight corpses at their feet.
The four Grand Masters stood behind Chu Zhiyuan, staring solemnly at the eight corpses.
At this moment, these eight corpses were undergoing strange changes, slowly changing.
